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United States Patent |
5,067,331
|
Porter
|
November 26, 1991
|
Warp knit fabric structure and method of production
Abstract
A warp knit fabric structure formed by means of a single needle and a
single guide bar made upon short hook needles of the latch or compound
type in which one thread only is supplied to each needle and two, three,
four or more needle wale overlaps are made at every course and only the
last part of the overlap next to the guide eye forms a single knit loop on
the needle of each last wale crossed, and by means of the geometrical
settings of the machine knitting elements, the adjacent threads individual
single needle loops, or the use of a point comb, the preceding part of
each overlap is prevented from forming knit loops on the needles. This
part of the overlap is divided into two components, a weftwise fabric
linking traverse, and a residual warpwise part held in the adjacent wales
by the double thread crossing of the neighbouring threads on each needle
in every course of knitting, the fabric structure with only one single
knit loop to each needle wale in each course, is obtained with bulk,
fullness, and directional stability.
Inventors:
|
Porter; Allan W. H. (Stosswald 1290, C.H.9062 Lustmuhle A.R., CH)
|
Appl. No.:
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701683 |
Filed:
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March 11, 1991 |
Current U.S. Class: |
66/195 |
Intern'l Class: |
D04B 021/00 |
Field of Search: |
66/202,203,195
|
References Cited
U.S. Patent Documents
3422641 | Jan., 1969 | Skrepek et al. | 66/195.
|
3738125 | Jun., 1973 | Blezard et al. | 66/195.
|
Foreign Patent Documents |
10910 | Jun., 1961 | TW | 66/195.
|
815096 | Mar., 1981 | SU | 66/195.
|
Primary Examiner: Schroeder; Werner H.
Assistant Examiner: Calvert; John J.
Parent Case Text
This is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 07/432,363 filed
Nov. 6, 1989, now abandoned.
Claims
What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United
States is:
1. A warp knit fabric structure formed by means of a single needle and
single guide bar comprising one thread forming a single knit loop only for
each needle wale with the last part of the thread overlapping across the
needle of a last needle wale traversed by each thread as overlaps across
two or more needle wales at every course of knitting.
2. A warp knit fabric structure as set forth in claim 1, wherein an
underlap preceding the multiple wale overlap ending in a single knit loop
in the last wale crossed by the thread can combine in the same course.
3. A warp knit fabric structure as set forth in claim 1, wherein that part
of the overlap laid across the wale or wales before the last to be
traversed by each thread at each course being prevented from forming
knitted loops and serving to link the wales traversed by them into a
fabric structure.
4. A warp knit fabric structure as set forth in claim 3, wherein that part
of the overlap not forming loops being held by at least two threads
crossing the knit loops of adjacent threads which form the adjacent wales
at the top of the loop of the wale in the previous course.
5. A warp knit fabric structure as set forth in claim 4, wherein that part
of the overlap not forming loops is held by the loops of the adjacent
wales into two components one warpwise and the other weftwise at every
course.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The Invention relates to a single needle and a single guide bar warp knit
fabric structure. This fabric is made using short hook needles of the
latch or compound type to acheive the directional stability by this method
of production. The simplest form of warp knit structure is derived from a
system of parallel threads of yarn led from a warp beam through individual
thread guide eyes mounted on a single guide bar. One thread for each
needle is laid simultaniously as overlaps in front of the needle hooks.
The fabric is composed of courses of loops connected across the width of
the fabric by the underlap threads and with wales of loops parallel to
each other up the length of the fabric. The fabric produced is loose and
flexible with low bulk and stability. A thread break or dropped stitch may
give rise to a hole or ladder run down the wale resulting in two seperate
pieces of fabric. Despite the economic length of thread employed the
fabric has limited technical and commercial use.
It is known that thread lapped over two needle wales at each course
produces two loops at every needle. More stability and bulk is acheived
but there are problems of equal thread distribution to each needle as
loops are drawn into the wales at every course.
It is also known lapping yarns over three needle wales at each course by
using yarns with elastic characteristics. This process allows some loop
length correction between wales. The stability and bulk of the fabric is
further improved with three loops on each needle at every course.
Each of the above methods with one thread for each needle increases the
length of thread used. This is the result of each wale receiving the
number of loops equal to the wales overlapped at each course.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the invention a warp knit fabric structure is formed by means
of a single needle and a single guide bar. The fabric comprising one
thread forming a single knit loop only for each needle wale with the last
part of each overlap thread traversed in front of the needle hooks. The
overlaps extend from the fabric to the guide eye diagonaly across,
intercepting each needle, at geometricaly progressively higher levels,
with the needles in their highest position above the fabric. The last part
of each thread next the guide eye forms a single knit loop laid across the
needle of the last needle wale traversed by each thread as overlaps across
two, three, four or more needle wales at every course of knitting. This
leaves the preceding part of the overlap laid across the wale or wales
before the last to be traversed by each thread at each course being
prevented from forming knit loops by the geometrical settings of the
machine knitting elements, the adjacent threads individual single needle
loops, or the use of a point comb. The overlap part next the fabric serves
to link the wales traversed by them into a fabric structure. This part of
the overlap not forming knit loops is held by at least two threads
crossing the knit loops of the adjacent threads. These threads form the
adjacent wales at the top of the loop in the previous course. The part of
the overlap not forming knit loops is held by the loops of the adjacent
wales into two components. The one across the wales has the function of
connecting them, whilst a prior residual part, which lies up the wale
where it formed its previous loop, give together a warpwise and weftwise
effect on the technical back of the fabric at every course. Each thread
crosses at least twice the weftwise traverse and holds the thread from the
adjacent wale reducing the possibility of a ladder run due to a thread
break or a dropped stitch. The fabric structure produced by this method
has bulk, fullness and directional stability previously not obtained in a
knit fabric with only one thread and knit loop for each needle wale and
course. The fabric structure as set out with overlaps ending in a single
open knit loop in the last wale traversed may be formed so that an
underlap preceding a multiple wale overlap ending in a single knit loop in
the last wale crossed by the thread can combine in the same course. The
underlap closes the loop it formed in the previous course and steps the
subsequent overlap a wale left and right alternately at each course.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 illustrates diagramaticaly a system of three needle wales, four
courses, intervening spaces and formed loops with simple two needle
overlaps and single loops in each wale.
FIG. 2 illustrates the system of four needle wales, four courses,
intervening spaces and formed loops from a three needle overlap and one
needle underlap and single loops in each wale. One hatched thread shows
its path in the structure.
FIG. 3 illustrates five latch needles in their highest position above the
fabric looking at the open hooks from the overlap side of the needle
plane.
FIG. 4 illustrates an end sectional view of the knitting elements with
thread guide "Q" in the underlap, and at "P" in the overlap position. The
fabric take down is at "Z".
DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS
The invention will now be described with reference to the drawings in which
FIG. 1 illustrates wales "a:b:c", courses "J; K; L; M", and intervening
spaces "0, 1, 2, 3", and guide movement "2-0/0-2".
The hatched thread lies in a completed loop in wale "b", course "J". It
passes up space "2", then across wales "b:a", into the loop for the next
course "K", space "0". It is drawn through the loop in wale "a", course
"J", trapping the overlap of the thread to its right.
It then passes up space "0", course "K", then left across wales "a:b", and
forms the loop "b", course "L", having been drawn through the loop in wale
"b", course "K", trapping the thread to its left at the base of this
course and being held by the thread to its right in wale "a". It now goes
up space "2", to the base of course "M", where it is held by the thread to
the left before crossing over wales "b:a", to form the loop in wale "a",
course "M". It is drawn through the loop wale "a", course "L", to trap the
thread to its right in space "1". The thread guide movement notation to
identify the knitted overlap within the conventionaly written longer
overlap is as follows: "2-0(kt.1-0)/0-2(kt.1-2)". Referring to FIG. 2
illustrates wales "a:b:c:d", courses "U; V; W; X", intervening spaces "0,
1, 2, 3, 4", and guide movement "3-0/1-4". The hatched thread lies in a
loop in wale "d", course "U". It passes diagonaly across wale "d", space
"3", as an underlap, then continues to the right as an overlap across
wales "c:b:a", to form a single loop in wale "a", course "V".
It is drawn through the loop wale "a", course "U", traps the threads to its
right from wales "c and b", course "U", and is trapped at the same time by
the threads to its left which form loops in wales "c and b", course "V".
The thread crosses diagonaly left as an underlap wale "a", space "1",
course "V", continues as an overlap across wales "b:c:d", at the base of
course "W", where it forms the loop in wale "d", course "W". It traps the
threads to its left from wales "b and c", course "V", whilst being trapped
by two threads to its right forming loops wales "b and c", course "W". The
thread now crosses diagonaly to the right wale "d", space "3", course "W",
to the base of course "X", where it continues as an overlap across wales
"c:b:a", to form a single loop in wale "a", course "X". The thread is now
held by the threads to its left forming loops "c and b", course "X", and
holds the threads to its right which previously formed wales "c and b",
course "W". The guide movement notation to identify the knit overlap
within the conventional longer overlap is as follows:
"3-0(kt.1-0)/1-4(kt.3-4)". In FIG. 1 each wale consists of open loops. In
FIG. 2 all are closed by the movement of the guide bar forming underlaps.
Referring to FIG. 3 the overlap thread across two needle wales "a and b",
lies from the fabric loop a' to guide eye "2", with the last part of the
overlap next the guide eye intercepting the needle latch at b' capturing
it and forming a single knit loop in wale "b". Alternatively a five needle
overlap is shown from a' to guide eye "5", with intercepts at b"m c", d",
e". The last three intercepts lie on latches "L", and are thrust down the
needles by the points of comb "T", to "S", inserted above the overlaps.
These now lie from a', b'", c'", d'", S, e'", to "5", leaving the last
part next the guide eye on latch "L", at e'", to form a single knit loop.
Referring to FIG. 4 guide eye "Q", in the underlap position space "0",
passes through the needle plane to "P", where it overlaps the needles and
passes back through them in space "2", to "Q", leaving the thread in a
rectangular half helix from a', b' to "Q". By a five needle overlap, the
intercept heights are a', b'", c'", d'", S, e'", to "Q" space "5", after
thrusting the thread from T' to S down the inverted slope of the comb
inserted from T to T'. By adjustment of the setting geometry of the
machine knitting elements, the guide depth and swing through the needle
plane, or use of a pointed comb, the lower first part of the overlap is
prevented from forming knit loops because its intercept lies beyond
capture by the latch "L", and the last part of the overlap intercept next
to the guide eye is captured by the latch "L", to form single knit loops
at every course of knitting.
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